Apparatus for assembling closures



July 19, 1966 A. H. CAMPBELL ET AL 3,261,314

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CLOSURES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov 4, 1963 INVENTORS- AND R EW H. CAMPBELL FIG. I

BY JAMES T. KANE W ATTORNEYJ'.

July 19, 1966 A. H. CAMPBELL ET AL Filed NOV 4, 1963 APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CLOSURES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. q ANDREW H. CAMPBELL BY JAMES I KANE ATTORNEYS.

July 19, 1966 A CAMPBELL ET AL 3,261,314

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING GLOSURES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov 4, 1963 INVENTORS. ANDREW H. CAMPBELL JAMES T. KANE IIIIIII ATTORNEYS.

July 19, 1966 ETAL 3,261,314

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CLOSURES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Nov 4, 1963 FIG. ll

INVENTOR ANDR EW H. CAMPBELL BY JAMES T. KANE United States Patent 0 3,261,314 APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CLOSURES Andrew H. Campbell, 40 Bauer Terrace, Elizabeth, N.J., and James T. Kane, 572 1st St., Westfield, NJ. Filed Nov. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 321,068 16 Claims. (Cl. 113-19) The present invention relates to a machine for assembling a closure member in the end of a tubular container shell, more particularly, to the crimping apparatus for such a machine.

Most of the machines presently used for assembling a closure member into a tubular container require a high degree of coordination by the operator between the actuation of a foot pedal and a hand lever. Depressing the foot pedal raises a tubular container shell having a closure positioned in its end into a working position with respect to a crimping head. Simultaneously, the operator must actuate the hand lever to initiate the crimping operation. If the operator should release the foot pedal prior to disengagement of the crimping rolls from the edges of the container shell and the closure, these edges will become damaged and result in a poor end seam which may result in leaking of the contents from the container.

While such known machines can be satisfactorily operated by highly skilled operators to obtain good quality seams, it was apparent that these machines had other shortcomings and disadvantages. The manner in which the ends of the container shell and the closure were folded and aligned prior to positioning between the crimping rolls depended almost entirely on the skill of the operator. Accordingly, if operators performed this vital folding operation in different ways, the result was to produce containers of varying quality. In some types of machines it was even necessary that this folding be accomplished manually by the operator. Such manual folding presented a constant danger to the operator of injury to his hands.

Another shortcoming of prior machines of this type was that the engagement of the crimping rolls and accordingly the force exerted by the crimping rolls on the material passing therebetween, depended not only on the force exerted by the operator on the hand lever, but on the operating conditions of a large number of journals and bearings and the nature of the adjustments provided in the machine in order to compensate for wear in these journals and bearings. Any errors in making these adjustments by maintenance personnel resulted in a large percentage of containers having poor quality end seams.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved machine for assembling a closure member into the end of a tubular container shell.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a crimping head for such a machine which will be dependable in operation to produce seams of high quality even when the machine is operated by relatively unskilled personnel.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine for assembling closures in tubular containers wherein the machine can be used in geographically dispersed locations but will efliciently and dependably operate with a minimum of maintenance.

The objects of the present invention can be achieved and the disadvantages of the prior art can be overcome by the apparatus disclosed herein. This apparatus essentially comprises a vertical frame having a base with a mandrel for carrying a container shell pivotally mounted on the base for engagement with a crimping head on the upper end of the frame. The mandrel can be adjusted to accommodate container shells of various lengths and is pivotable between loading and working positions. On

"ice

the upper end of the mandrel there is provided an expansible head which secures the container shell on the mandrel for the crimping operation and which also positions a closure member within the upper end of the container shell.

The crimping head is mounted upon a mounting plate which is removably attached to the upper end of the vertical frame. The crimping head comprises a female crimping roll assembly which in turn has a vertical shaft so mounted in two brackets that the shaft is retained against axial movement. The vertical shaft is drivingly connected to an electric motor. A female crimping roll having a resiliently positioned upper flange is secured on the vertical shaft together with a roll having a peripheral groove therein. The grooved roll is for axially and radially positioning the crimping roll.

A further component of the crimping head is a male crimping roll assembly which is pivotally and slidably mounted on a supporting bracket of the female crimping roll assembly. Accordingly, the male crimping roll assembly is capable of radial and axial movement with respect to the female crimping roll assembly. The male crimping roll assembly comprises a supporting shaft which is mounted for limited axial movement. The male crimping roll is mounted on the lower extremity of this shaft and a flange is positioned on this shaft above the male crimping roll for engagement with the grooved roll of the female crimping roll assembly. The two crimping roll assemblies are drivingly connected by gears.

In order to actuate the male crimping roll assembly an operating lever is pivotally mounted on an eccentric bushing in a bracket of the female crimping roll assembly. The eccentric bushing is for adjusting the relative posi tions of the crimping roll assemblies. A toggle linkage operatively connects the operating lever to the male crimping roll assembly supporting shaft so that actuation of the lever downwardly by the operator will move the male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially downward and radially inward relative to the female crimping roll assembly and into crimping engagement therewith.

Stops are provided on the operating lever to limit the range of pivotal movement of the operating lever.

An arcuate deflecting plate is mounted on the frame and positioned radially outwardly of the female crimping roll assembly so as to engage the upper end of the container shell as it is moved into the working position. This deflecting plate will bend the upper end of the container shell radially inwardly. Further, this deflecting plate will bend the upper end of the container shell radially inwardly as the end of the shell is moved through the crimping head during the crimping operation.

A second deflecting plate is resiliently hinged on the frame and is urged into engagement with the bent upper end of the container shell by a cam mounted on the operating lever. This second deflecting plate will bend the already bent upper end of the container shell axially inwardly of the shell.

During the operation of this apparatus, after the container shell has been moved into the working position and the upper end has been 'bent by the deflecting plates, the lower face of the male crimping roll will then fold the bent upper end into the crimping position. This is done as the male crimping roll is pivoted into engagement with the female crimping roll.

The resilient mounting of the upper flange of the female crimping roll will enable this roll to accommodate increased thicknesses of material caused by the passage of a longitudinal seam of the container shell through the crimping roll.

Several modifications of this apparatus are also disclosed. In one modification the cam operated roll and a stationary guide roll are provided instead of the deflecting plates to bend over the upper end of the container shell.

A further modification comprises stops to limit the lateral movement of the male crimping roll assembly when in the crimping positions and stops to more accurately locate the male crimping roll when disengaged from the female crimping roll assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View of the apparatus of the present invention with the container shell being shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view in somewhat enlarged scale of the crimping head in the open or disengaged position;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 2, but showing the crimping head in the engaged or crimping position;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view in enlarged scale of the crimping rolls with the container shell which is in the crimping position being shown in section;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 3, and showing in plan view the deflecting plates;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5, showing the crimping head in the crimping position and the container shell and deflector plates in section to illustrate the manner in which the pivoted deflecting plate is depressed by the cam;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view of the crimping rolls showing the manner in which the resiliently mounted flange of the female crimping roll yields when an increased thickness of material passes between the crimping rolls;

FIGURE 8 is a View similar to the right hand half of FIGURE 5 and showing a modification wherein rolls are employed to bend the upper end of the container shell;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIGURE 8, and illustrating the manner in which the cam operated roll folds the end of the container shell over the flange of the closure prior to the crimping oper- 'ation;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevational view of a portion of the crimping head showing a modification wherein stop members are mounted on the male crimping roll assembly; and

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of FIGURE l0, and showing a top plan view of the stop members limiting the lateral movement of the male crimping roll when in the crimping position.

With reference to the drawings wherein like reference symbols indicate the same parts throughout the various views, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. As may be seen in FIGURE 1, the apparatus of the present invention consists of a vertical steel frame 1 having on the top thereof a belt guard 2 mounted upon an electric drive motor 3 attached to the upper end of the frame. A fiber container shell 4 which is cylindrical in shape is carried upon a mandrel comprising a main shaft tube 5 which is pivotally mounted at its bottom end on a horizontal pivot 6 secured in a bracket 7 mounted on a base 8 of the apparatus frame. Slidably positioned within the main shaft tube 5 is a main shaft or spindle 9 having on its upper end an expansible head It). A skirt 11 for positioning the container shell 4 and a table 12 for supporting the container shell 4 are adjustably mounted on the center portion of the main shaft tube 5.

As may be seen with further reference to FIGURE 3, the expansible head 1% comprises a plurality of segments 13 which slide radially relative to a stationary plate 14 in segment guides 15 and are connected by links 16 to a spider 17. The spider 17 is resiliently secured to the underside of plate 14- by bolts 18 upon which are mounted compression springs 19 to urge the spider upwardly toward the plate 14. The spider 17 is thus capable of axial movement on the bolts 18. Upward movement of the spider 17 towards the plate 14 expands the segments 13 radially outwardly through the links 16.

The main shaft 9 has a pin 20 in the upper end thereof which acts against an actuating ring 21 connected to the spider 17 through spacers 22. and bolts (not shown).

The lower end of the main shaft 9 carries a pin 24 sliding in a slot 25 in the main shaft tube 5 and is pivotally connected to a link 23. The other end of the link 23 is pivotally attached to a fixed center at 26. There is an axial slot 27 in the upper end of the main shaft tube 5 to slidably receive the pin 20.

The expansible head It is contracted when the mandrel assembly is pivoted radially outwardly so as to cause the pin 20 to move axially downwardly in the slot 27 so as to carry the actuating ring 21 downwardly with it. This downward movement of the pin 20 is caused by the downward sliding movement of the main shaft 9 through the action of the link 23 pivotally connected to the lower end of the main shaft 9.

Tilting of the mandrel assembly radially inwardly or in the direction of the arrow shown in FIGURE 1 causes the main shaft 9 to slide upwardly within the main shaft tube 5 whereby the spider 17 is moved upwardly under the action of the springs 19 to move the segments 13 radially outwardly.

The angular position of the main shaft at which the expansible head will be fully expanded is determined by the proportions between the vertical lengths of the interacting parts as described above.

The skirt 11 and table 12 are adjustably positioned on the main shaft tube 5 by a collar 28 slidably positioned thereon and secured in position by a set screw.

After the container shell 4 has bee-n placed upon the mandrel, the closure 29 which may be of metal or fibrous construction, and having a flange 30, is positioned within the upper end of the container shell 4 by the expansible head 10.

The main shaft tube 5 is limited in its pivotal movement by stops 31 and 32 mounted upon brackets 33. The outwardly tilted or loading position of the mandrel can be adjusted by an adjustable screw 34 carried by the stop 32.

The expansible head is intended primarily with use for fiber closure members since metal closure members will be sufficiently rigid to round out the cylindrical eontainer shell.

Proceeding next to FIGURES 2 and 3, the crimping head comprises a female crimping roll assembly 35 having a vertical supporting shaft 38 rotatably mounted in journals 39 and 40 in brackets 41 and 42. The supporting brackets are carried by a mounting plate 43 detachably secured to the upper end of the frame 1 by bolts and nuts 44. Collars 45 are fixedly secured on the supporting shaft 38 to vertically position the shaft in its journals. The upper end of the shaft 38 carries a pulley 36 which is d'rivin'gly connected by a belt 37 to the driving motor 3, with the belt and pulleys being enclosed by the belt guard 2.

A spur gear 46 is mounted on the intermediate portion of the shaft 38 between supporting brackets 4-1 and 42 by a set screw 47. The lower end of the shaft 38 carries a removable flange assembly 49 having a sleeve 48 secured thereon by a pin 50 and axially spaced from the supporting bracket by a loose spacer 5 1. The flange assembly 4-9 essentially comprises a grooved =roll having flanges 52 and 53 with a peripheral groove 54 therebetween. Downwardly from the flange 53 a flange 5-5 loosely surrounds the sleeve 48 and is spaced from the flange 53 by a resilient spacer 56 preferably made of rubber. The loose flange 5-5 is yieldable axially because of the resilient spacer 56 interposed between the loose flange 55 and the fixed flange 53. On the lower end of the sleeve 48 is positioned a contoured female crimping roll 57 with its lower flange being knurled and secured on the sleeve 48 by the pin 50.

A further component of the crimping head is a male crimping roll assembly 58 which comprises a rotatable supporting shaft 59 slidably mounted for axial movement in a journal 60 carried by a bracket 61 which is pivotally mounted at 62 from the supporting bracket 41. The shaft 59 is journalled in a bushing 63 inserted in a supporting sleeve 64 and is locked again-st axial movement by a collar 65. The upper end of the supporting shaft 59 above the journal 60 carries a spur gear 66 which is fixedly mounted thereon.

On the lower end of the supporting shaft 59 is a male crimping roll assembly 67 secured in position by a pin 68. The crimping roll assembly 67 has an upper male flange 69 axially spaced above a male crimping roll 70 which is carried at the lower extremity of the shaft. An operating lever 71 carrying transverse limit stops 72 and 73 is pivotally mounted on a pin 77 positioned in an eccentric bushing 78 on the end of the bracket 42. The bushing 78 is held in a desired position by a removable pin 79. This eccentric mounting permits manual adjustment of the relative positions of the male and female crimping roll assemblies. The operating lever 71 is operatively connected to the supporting shaft 59 by a toggle link mechanism 71A comprising a link 74 having one end pivotally connected at 75 to the lever 71 and the other end pivotally connected at 76 to a bracket 74A extending radially outwardly from the sleeve 64. The transverse stops 72 and 73 engage the upper and lower edges respectively of the bracket 74A to limit the range of pivotal movement of the operating lever 71.

A portion of the sleeve 64 opposite from the bracket 74A is cut away at 64A to accommodate the outer end of the bracket 42 when the crimping head is in the crimping position, as shown in FIGURE 3.

A pair of tension springs 81 are connected between the operating lever 71 and the upper port-ion of the mounting plate 43 so as to maintain the operating lever '71 in an upward position and, accordingly, the male crimping roll assembly 58 in the disengaged position.

In the crimping position the engaging portions of the male crimping roll 70 and the female crimping roll 57 are guided into the exact working position axially by the male flange 69 of the male cnimping roll entering the groove 54 of the grooved roll of the female crimping roll assembly. The clearance between the engaged portions of the male and female crimping rolls is suflicient to provide proper crimping without punching or cutting the material of the container shell and the radial clearance is determined by the diameter of the peripheral groove 54 of the female roll assembly with respect to the diameter of the flange 69 of the male roll assembly. This axial and radial positioning of the engaging portions of the crimping roll-s by the flanges of the rolls themselves eliminates any variations in position because of wear in pin-s, bushings, and journals of the mechanism and, accordingly, eliminates any adjustments to compensate for such wear.

The relative diameters of the flange 69 and the groove 54 prevent the crimping rolls from being positioned too far apart in the crimp-ing position as might result from wear of the toggle pins and journals. To correct the position of the rolls, the eccentric bushing 78 can be rotated to bring the rolls closer together in a crimping position. Adjustment of the eccentric bushing '78 is also carried out to crimp heavier fiber and metal components. The tightness of the interlocking seam formed by the crimping head can be varied by positioning of this eccentric bushing.

As can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 5, there is provided an arcuate-shaped deflecting plate 82 which is positioned radially outwardly of the crimping head and is mounted on a bracket 83 which is secured to the mounting plate 43 on the frame.

As may be seen in FIGURES 5 and 6, there is provided a second deflecting plate 84 which is hingedly con nected at 85 to the bracket 83. The hinged deflecting plate 84 is mounted between the deflecting plate 82 and the crimping rolls and is depressed by the downward movement of a finger-like cam 86 mounted on the supporting pivot 77 of the toggle lever 71. A spring 87 is provided to urge the deflecting plate 84 upwardly as the toggle lever and cam are raised, the upward movement of the deflecting plate 84 being limited by the bolt and .Washer 88.

The apparatus may be modified by the use of structures other than the above described deflecting plates in order to bend the top end of the container shell. As may be seen in FIGURES 8 and 9, fixed and cam operated rolls are employed in place of the fixed and resiliently mounted deflecting plates.

A first guide roll 89 is mounted on a shaft 90 which is secured to the bracket 83. A second guide roll 91 is journalled on a shaft 92 attached to the supporting pivot 77 of the toggle lever 71. In the closed or crimping position the first guide roll 89 initially bends the end of the container shell. The second guide roll 91, when in the crimping position, continues to fold the end of the container shell over the flange 30 of the closure 29.

Another modification to the apparatus of this invention is shown in FIGURES 10 and 11 wherein a pair of arms 95 extend outwardly from the journal bracket 40 and have their inner faces tapered at 95A to engage correspondingly tapered surfaces on wedges 96 mounted on the supporting sleeve 64. This engagement of the members 40 and 64 through the tapered surfaces eliminates any lateral movement of the male crimping roll when in crimping position. There may also be provided a pair of stops 97 on the supporting sleeve 64 to engage the lower surface 98 of the journal 60 of supporting bracket 61 in order to locate more accurately the male crimping roll in the open or disengaged position. These stops also act to relieve the journal 60 from mechanical strain when the operating lever is moved upwardly into the disengaged position.

Operation of the apparatus When operating this apparatus, the crimping rolls of the crimping head are continuously rotated by the drive motor 3 so as to move a container shell between the rolls in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG- URE 5 of the drawings. As may be seen in FIGURE 2, the male and female crimping roll assemblies are drivingly connected by the partial engagement of the gears 46 and 66. This partial engagement merely drives the male crimping roll assembly but does not deliver sufficient power for the actual crimping operation.

Initially, the mandrel is in the loading position as shown in FIGURE 1 and a fiber container shell 4 is slipped over the mandrel to be located by skirt 11 and table 12. The metal or fibrous closure 29 having a flange 30 is then positioned within the upper end of the container shell and is held in position by the expansible head 10, as also may be see-n in FIGURE 1.

The mandrel carrying the container shell 4 and the closure 29 is then pivoted in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 1 into the Working position as indicated by the phantom lines also in FIGURE 1. The pivoting of the mandrel is accomplished either manually or by a suitable mechanism connected to the main shaft tube 9 but which is not illustrated.

As the fibrous container shell is pivoted into the crimping position and passes through the several intermediate positions, as shown in FIGURE 2, the upper end 93 Will first engage the deflecting plate 82 and will be bent along a line at the top of the flange 30 of the 7 closure 29. The deflecting plate 82 is so shaped that it continues to bend the advancing fiber container shell and delivers it bent to the male crimping roll which maintains the bent end at almost a right angle from its original unbent position.

When the male crimping roll assembly is moved from the open position of FIGURE 2 into the crimping position of FIGURE 3 in a manner to be presently described, the male crimping roll 70 further bends the end 93 of the container shell axially inwardly over the flange 30 of the closure. As the crimping rolls grip the bent fiber and rotate the shell counterclockwise, as shown in FIGURE 5, successive portions of the end of the container shell will be crimped by the crimping rolls to form an interlocking seam with the flange 30. The hinged deflecting plate 84 bends the end 93 of the container shell further just before this bent end enters the crimping rolls.

The male crimping roll assembvly is moved into the crimping position with respect to the female crimping roll assembly, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, by the operator manually moving the operating lever 71 downwardly in the direction of the arrow, as shown in FIG- URE 3. The lower position of the operating lever 71 is determined by the stop 72 engaging the top edge of the bracket 74A. In this lower or crimping position, as shown in FIGURE 3, the toggle links comprising the links 71A and the bracket 74A are just past dead center so that no effort is required to hold the operating lever in this position. The operating lever is locked in this crimping position by the reacting forces of the tubular container shell and closure member on the crimping rolls during the crimping.

In this crimping position the gears 46 and 66 are fully engaged along their widths, as shown in FIGURE 3, so that full power is delivered to the crimping rolls. The crimping rolls are so contoured so that when brought forcibly together they crimp the end of the container shell around the flange of the closure by rolling these edges inwardly one Within the other into a seam, as is more clearly shown in FIGURE 4. This seam will retain hot pour material introduced into the resulting container.

During the downward movement of the operating lever 71 fro-m open to the crimping position, the cam surface of the periphery of the male flange 69 slidingly engages the cam surface of the female flange 52. This camming action between the flanges of the crimping roll assemblies during the closing of the operating lever insures a precise operation of the crimping head which is independent of the condition of wear of some of the machine components.

Occasionally the fibrous container shell 4 may be fabricated into the form of a cylinder in such a manner so as to have a longitudinal seam thereon which is thicker than the thickness of the material comprising the shell. Such a longitudinal seam may be stapled, grooved, taped or any other combination of these or other methods for forming a seam. As the fibrous cylindrical container shell 4 and the bottom closure 29 rotate through the crimping head in the crimping position, a thickened seam 80 passes through the crimping rolls, as shown in FIG- URE 7. The seam 80 will urge the loose flange 55 upwardly against the rubber spacer 56 to compress the same. When the seam St has passed through the crimping rolls 57 and 70, the flange 55 will return to its normal position against the female crimping roll 57 due to precompression of the rubber spacer 56. The rubber spacer 56 exerts sufficient downward axial movement against the flange 55 to properly crimp the remainder of the periphery of the fibrous container shell.

After the seam around the entire periphery of the closure 29 has been completed, the container shell is released by lifting the operating handle 71 to the position as shown in FIGURE 2. The toggle linkage acts to pivot E3 the supporting shaft 59 and the male crimping roll 67 out of engagement from the female crimping roll 57'. When the stop 73 engages the lower edge of the racket 74A, further upward movement of the lever 71 slides the bushing 63, support-ing sleeve 64, and collar s5, together with shaft 59 and gear 66 upwardly as the supporting shaft 59 slides in its journal 60. During this pivotal movement gears 66 and 46 remain in partial engagement since the pivoting occurs about the center of the pivot joint 62 which center is on a vertical line passing through the contact point of the pitch circles of the gears when they are fully engaged. The upward movement of the male crimping roll assembly is limited by the engagement of either collar 65 or stop 72 against journal 60, as can be determined by the construction of the respective parts.

It will be apparent from both FIGURES 1 and 2 that the movement of the male crimping roll assembly is both axially and radially. When the male crimping roll assembly is being disengaged, the assembly moves radially outwardly and then axially upwardly. A reverse sequence of movements occurs when the male crimping roll assembly is pivoted and moved into engagement.

The disengaged position of the male crimping roll assembly as a result of the upward axial movement provides sufficient clearance to introduce a succeeding container shell and closure into the crimping position merely by pivoting the mandrel about its horizontal pivot 6 without any necessity for lifting or lowering the mandrel in order to pivot the container shell into the working position. The male crimping roll is so positioned in its disengaged position, as shown in FIGURE 2, that the bottom surface of the crimping roll Will also bend the fiber of an incoming container shell over the flange of the closure.

The peripheral edges of the male and female flanges 69 and 52 are shaped to define the path of the male roll 67 in moving from the open to crimping position so that the male roll 67 does not loose contact with the container shell but will fold the end 93 of the shell over the flange 3t! of the bottom closure in preparation for the actual crimping operation. One suitable construction, for example, comprises a male flange having a thickness of /8", the edges of the male flange 6% will have radii of curvature of A1" and /8", as shown at 99 and 1%, respectively. The same dimensions would be employed for the female flange 52 since it is an upside down mirror image of the male flange 6? and must cooperate therewith.

It is pointed out that as the male crimping roll assembly is moved from the open to the crimping position, the male crimping roll maintains continuous contact with the container shell and without unnecessary sliding or scuffing, will bend the fiber over the flange of the closure member in preparation for the crimping.

Thus it can be seen that the present invention discloses an apparatus for assembling closure members within the bottom of container shells and will form uniform seams regardless of the skill of the operator. The tightness of the crimp and the quality of the seam depend only upon a toggle linkage which insures complete engagement of the rolls without any necessity of the operator applying a force upon the lever. The uniform quality of this closure seam will be maintained even though increased thicknesses of the container shell such as occasioned by a longitudinal seam passing through the crimping rolls. In addition, the simultaneous axial and radial movement of the male crimping roll assembly with respect to the female crimping roll assembly requires only a pivoting of the container shell in order to bring the container shell into the crimping position and to remove the shell therefrom after the crimping operation has been completed.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with said one end of the container shell carried by said mandrel, a male crimping roll assembly pivotally and axially slidably mounted on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

2. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with said one end of the container shell carried by said mandrel, a male crimping roll assembly pivotally and axially slidably mounted on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly, and intermeshing means on said male and female crimping roll assemblies for limiting the axial and radial movement of said male crimping roll assembly when engaged with said female crimping roll assembly.

3. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with said one end of the container shell carried by said mandrel, a male crimping roll assembly pivotally and axially slidably mounted on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly, said female crimping roll assembly having a female crimping roll with a flange portion, said flange portion being resiliently mounted on said female crimping roll assembly to yield axially during the passage of increased thickness of material between said male and female crimping roll assemblies when said assemblies are engaged, means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly, and intermeshing means on said male and female crimping roll assemblies for limiting the axial and radial movement of said male crimping roll assembly when engaged with said female crimping roll assembly.

4. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base on the lower end thereof, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a mounting plate remov ably attached to the upper end of said frame, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said mounting plate for cooperation with said one end of the container shell carried by said mandrel, a male crimping roll assembly pivotally and axially slidably mounted on said mounted plate for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

v 5. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with said one end of the container shell carried by said mandrel, a male crimping roll assembly pivotally and axially slidably mounted on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly, and means for simultaneously driving said male and female crimping roll assemblies to move said one end of the container shell therethrough while crimping said shell end and the closure into an interlocking seam.

6. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a vertical shaft journalled on said frame and fixed against axial movement, a female crimping roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a peripherally grooved roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a bracket pivotally mounted on said frame, a supporting shaft journalled in said bracket and having limited axial movement therein, a male crimping roll fixedly mounted on said supporting shaft and engageable with said female crimping roll, said male crimping roll having a flange thereon engageable with said peripherally grooved roll so as to position said male crimping roll with respect to said female crimping roll, and means operatively connected to said supporting shaft for moving said supporting shaft together with said male crimping roll simultaneously axially and radially with respect to said vertical shaft to simultaneously engage and disengage said male crimping roll with said female crimping roll.

7. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a vertical shaft journal-led on said frame and fixed against axial movement, a female crimping roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a peripherally grooved roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a bracket pivotally mounted on said frame, a supporting shaft journalled in said bracket and having limited axial movement therein, a male crimping roll fixedly mounted on said supporting shaft and engageable with said female crimping roll, said male crimping roll having a flange thereon engageable with said peripherally grooved roll so as to position said male crimping roll with respect to said female crimping roll, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame, and a toggle link arrangement operatively connecting said operating lever and said supporting shaft to move said supporting shaft together with said male crimping roll simultaneously axially and radially with respect to said vertical shaft to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll with said female crimping roll.

8. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container she-ll, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a pair of vertically spaced brackets on said frame, a vertical shaft journalled in said pair of brackets and fixed against axial movement therein, a female crimping roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a peripherally grooved roll fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a first bracket pivotally mounted on the upper one of said vertically spaced brackets, a supporting shaft journalled in said first bracket and having limited axial movement therein, a male crimping roll fixedly mounted on said supporting shaft and engageable with said female crimping roll, said male crimping roll having a flange thereon engageable with said peripherally grooved roll so as to position said male crimping roll with respect to said female crimping roll, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the lower one of said vertically spaced brackets, a second bracket on said supporting shaft, a toggle link connecting said operating lever and said second bracket to move said supporting shaft together with said male crimping roll simultaneously axially and radially with respect to said vertical shaft to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll with said female crimping roll upon actuation of said operating lever.

9. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a pair of vertically spaced brackets on said frame, a vertical shaft journalled in said pair of brackets and fixed against axial movement therein, a female crimping roll and a peripherally grooved roll both fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, 21 first bracket pivotally mounted on the upper end of said vertically spaced brackets, a supporting shaft journa-llel in said first bracket and having limited axial movement therein, a male crimping roll fixedly mounted on said second shaft and engageable with said female crimping roll, said male crimping roll having a flange thereon engageable with said peripherally grooved roll so as to position said male crimping roll with respect to said female crimping roll, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the lower one of said vertically spaced brackets, a second bracket on said second shaft, a toggle link connecting said operating lever and said second bracket to move said supporting shaft together with said male crimping roll simultaneously axially and radially with respect to said vertical shaft to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll with said female crimping roll upon actuation of said operating lever, 21 pair of stops on said operating lever engageable with the top and bottom edges of said second bracket to limit the range of pivotal movement of said operating lever.

10. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within one end of said container shell, a vertical shaft journalled on said frame and fixed against axial movement, a female crimping roll and a peripherally groove-d roll both fixedly mounted on said vertical shaft, a first bracket pivotally mounted on said frame, a supporting shaft journalled in said bracket and having limited axial movement therein, a male crimping roll fixedly mounted on said supporting shaft and engageable with said female crimping roll, said male crimping roll having a flange thereon engageable with said peripherally grooved roll so as to position the male crimping roll with respect to said female crimping roll, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame, the pivotal mounting for said operating lever comprising an eccentric bushing adjustable to adjust the relative positions of said male and female crimping rolls, and a toggle link arrangement operatively connecting said operating lever and said supporting shaft to move said supporting shaft together with said male crimping roll simultaneously axially and radially with respect to said vertical shaft to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll with said female crimping roll.

11. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with one end of a container shell, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell and pivotal between a loading position and a working position, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within the upper end of the container shell, said mandrel positioning the upper end of the container shell and the closure therein in working relation to said female crimping roll assembly when in the Working position, a male crimping roll assembly including a supporting shaft and a male crimping roll on the lower extremity of said supporting shaft with said male crimping r-oll being engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said male crimping roll supporting shaft on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

12. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with one end of a container shell, 21 mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell and pivotal between a loading position and a working position, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within the upper end of the container shell, said mandrel positioning the upper end of the container shell and the closure therein in working relation to said female crimping roll assembly when in the working position, a deflecting plate mounted on said frame and positioned radially outwardly of said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with the upper end of the container shell as it is moved into the working position to bend the upper end of the shell radially inwardly thereof, a male crimping roll assembly including a supporting shaft and a male crimping roll on the lower extremity of said supporting shaft with said male crimping roll being engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said male crimping roll supporting shaft on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

13. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said deflecting plate is arcuate to extend over the periphery of a container shell in the working position to bend the upper end of the container shell as the container shell is moved through said crimping rolls.

14. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a female crimping roll assembly journalled on said frame for cooperation with one end of a container shell, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell and pivotal between a loading position and a working position, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure Within the upper end of the container shell, said mandrel positioning the upper end of the container shell and a closure therein in working relation to said female crimping roll assembly when in the working position, a first deflecting plate mounted on said frame and positioned radially outwardly of said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with the upper end of the container shell as it is moved into the Working position to bend the upper end of the shell radially inwardly thereof, a second deflecting plate mounted on said frame and positioned between said first deflecting plate and said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with the bent upper end of a container shell as it is moved into working position to bend the bent upper end of the container shell axially inwardly thereof, a male crimping roll on the lower extremity of said supporting shaft with said male crimping roll being engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said male crimping roll supporting shaft on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping roll assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

15. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second deflecting plate is resiliently hinged on said frame, and a cam mounted on said operating lever and engageable with said second deflecting plate when said male crimping roll assembly is moved into engagement with said female crimping roll assembly to depress said deflecting plate thereby further bending the upper end of the container shell.

16. In an apparatus for assembling a closure into the end of a container shell, the combination of a frame having a base, a female crimping roll assembly journaled on said frame for cooperation with one end of a container shell, a mandrel pivotally mounted on said base for carrying a container shell and pivotal between a loading position and a working position, means on said mandrel for positioning a closure within the upper end of the container shell, said mandrel positioning the upper end of the container shell and a closure therein in working relation to said female crimping roll assembly when in the working position, a first deflecting plate mounted on said frame and positioned radially outwardly of said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with the upper end of the container shell as it is moved into the working position to bend the upper end of the shell radially inwardly thereof, a second deflecting plate mounted on said frame and positionedbetween said first deflecting plate and said female crimping roll assembly and engageable with the bent upper end of a container shell as it is moved into working position to bend the bent upper end of the container shell axially inwardly thereof, a male crimping roll assembly including a supporting shaft and a male crimping roll on the lower extremity of said shaft with said male crimping roll being engageable with said female crimping roll assembly, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said male crimping roll supporting shaft on said frame for radial and axial movement with respect to said female crimping roll assembly, said male crimping roll being so positioned with respect to the container shell when in the working position that the lower face of said male crimping roll further bends the bent upper end of the container shell as the male crimping roll is moved into engagement with said female crimping roll assembly, and means operatively connected to said male crimping roll assembly for moving said male crimping r011 assembly simultaneously axially and radially to selectively engage and disengage said male crimping roll assembly with said female crimping roll assembly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,238,372 4/1941 Price 113-23 3,725,000 11/1955 ONeil 113--19 CHARLES W. LANI-IAM, Primary Examiner.

R. D. GREFE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING A CLOSURE INTO THE END OF A CONTAINER SHELL, THE COMBINATION OF A FRAME HAVING A BASE, A MANDREL PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE FOR CARRYING A CONTAINER SHELL, MEANS ON SAID MANDREL FOR POSITIONING A CLOSURE WITHIN ONE END OF SAID CONTAINER SHELL, A FEMALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY JOURNALLED ON SAID FRAME FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID ONE END OF THE CONTAINER SHELL CARRIED BY SAID MANDREL, A MALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY PIVOTALLY AND AXIALLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR RADIAL AND AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID FEMALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FEMALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY, AND MEANS OPERATIVE CONNECTED TO SAID MALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY FOR MOVING SAID MALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY SIMULTANEOUSLY AXIALMALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY WITH SAID FEMALE CRIMPING ROLL ASSEMBLY. 